Practice RR 8.28 (sample)

Grade: 4 (out of 4)

Comments:  

• This RR is very good. It certainly shows the student did the reading carefully! 
• The answer to (2)  provides more info than necessary, but obviously there's no penalty for that! 
• When the student gives his thoughts about kind essentialism and individual essentialism, he covers objections that are discussed by Witt.  It would be better if he added his own thinking a bit more. (This doesn't affect the grade.)

1)      What is the view that Witt characterizes as “kind essentialism”? What are your thoughts about whether it is true?
 “Kind essentialism” is a view holding that individuals are constituents of a kind (or group) when they share a unique property. More specific theories of kind essentialism require that these essential and unique properties have causal or explanatory power, as compared to nominal essences. Such views often appeal to physical, biological characteristics. This argument fails to account for different cultural perceptions of male and female across locations and time periods. 

2)      What is the view that Witt characterizes as “individual essentialism”? What are your thoughts about whether it is true?
 Contrary to kind essentialism, “individual essentialism” does not seek to define a group by a certain characteristic; rather, it seeks to define individuals by the properties and characteristics that are necessary to the individual’s identity. However, there are two different theories of individual essentialism. “Uniessentialism” is a view arguing that an individual is defined by its functional properties; for example, a house is a house because the building has the functional property of sheltering people, animals, etc. “Identity Essentialism”, on the other hand, refers to the composition of the specific individual in question. In essence, all properties, and characteristics that materially compose the individual are required for the individual to have its same identity. Individual essentialism may inerrantly equate the essential natures of objects with the essential natures of subjects and selves; essentially, this view ignores the possibility that there is something unique about an individual’s having agency and autonomy. Self-determining subjects and causally-determined objects should be thought of as differing classes. 

3)      What is the essence of the kinds male and female according to Aristotle in the Politics, books V and XIII?
 Aristotle argues that the relationship between man and woman is similar to the relationship between ruler and subject and freeman and slave. Men have higher levels of rationality, temperance, courage, and justice. It is not the case that women do not have rationality, temperance, courage and justice; it is simply the case that they have lower degrees of it. Additionally, the souls of men and women are naturally rulers and subjects, respectively. Women are naturally obedient, so they cannot rule.